ISO Codes Create a Connected World

This month, we’ve been talking about the importance of ISO 27001 – but if this sounds like just a bunch of random numbers and letters, this article is for you! Here, our managed IT company in Melbourne takes you through what these codes are, what they do, and why they matter.

What are ISO codes?

ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization – a non-governmental group made up of standards bodies from over 160 countries. Essentially, they work together to set standards for everything from technology and working conditions through to scientific testing processes and social issues, creating global identifiers for countries and benchmarks for governments, businesses, and more to follow – these are ISO codes.

What do ISO codes do?

Although they aren’t well-known by people outside regulatory bodies or in the compliance sector, ISO codes govern many aspects of everyday work and personal lives. For example, sending money overseas, using website domains, working on the cloud, using Skype or Zoom, shipping purchases, or even enjoying your favourite foods and beverages!

These codes are a series of numbers and letters that identify a country and specific details for trade and communication. For example, in a payment:

• ISO – This shows it is a certified International Organization for Standardization code
• First 2 letters – This identifies the country, for example, AU for Australia in .com.au websites
• 3rd letter – This identifies the currency using the first letter of the currency name
• Numbers – There can be several numbers here to facilitate trade between countries with non-Latin scripts, and minor numbers show if the currently divides into 100 or 1000, for example

By utilising the ISO code, transactions between all member countries are seamless and accurate, overcoming the issue of different currency types, non-Latin currency systems, and even non-computerised and historic currencies.

Pretty cool, huh?

ISO codes for business cybersecurity and data management

ISO codes are also available for some increasingly critical aspects of business, including data protection and data compliance. With Australia implementing amendments to the Privacy Act soon and governments all over the world taking similar measures, doing business nationally and internationally is requiring a much higher level of data compliance and governance.

The most important of these is ISO 27001, which offers the world standard for managing, organising, and securing any type of digital information and organisations of all sizes, including government. As with currency ISOs, ISO 27001 is a standard recognised and utilised in over 160 countries, providing benchmarks and systems for both evaluating cybersecurity and data protection risks as well as implementing best practice data organisation and management systems.

How your organisation can achieve world-class compliance

To ensure that an organisation is meeting these requirements, it needs to go through a multi-stage process subject to external audits against stringent ISO requirements. But the benefits of this intensive process are more than worth it – from the immediate trust gained for national and international clients/customers to full compliance with Australian and global data privacy regulations, reduction of cybersecurity risks through organisation-wide protections, and the implementation of a centrally-managed data and security framework.

In addition, ISO 27001 is constantly evolving to meet new regulations and risks, ensuring that your long-term maintenance of this certification comes with the resources and tools to combat each new challenge or threat as it arises.

The ISO however does not perform certification itself – instead, you need a qualified partner in your region to manage this process on your behalf if you do not have the in-house specialists to do so. You will also need a certified and independent audit process to gain this accreditation.

That’s where Otto comes in! With cybersecurity specialists ready and waiting, we can assist your organisation in achieving this critical certification, ensuring that you are 100% compliant and protected – and so is the data you gather.

We can also assist you in guiding your IT investment strategy, supply virtual CIO services on an as-needed basis, set up secure cloud migration and hybrid work teams, and deliver 24/7 expert support.

Let’s chat!